From looking at many existing AT&SF steam locomotives on display as well as many, many photos of Santa Fe steam in active service, it would seem that the number boards, attached to the hand rail by the sand dome, (as seen in the attached photo of ATSF 1024) were a feature of most if not all Santa Fe steam locomotives.

Does anyone out there know if the number boards were on every Santa Fe steam locomotive? If not, was there any rhyme or reason as to which had them and which did not?

I ask as I am doing some research on AT&SF 811 in Atchison Kansas, which is not sporting the number boards at the present time, and am trying to figure out if they are a missing part the should be replaced, or something that 811 did not have in the first place. A current shot of 811 is also included for your viewing pleasure.

Thanks

Jason Midyette

The indicator boards that you refer to were on most (but perhaps not all) AT&SF steam locomotives. The indicator boards were used by some railroads (such as the SP and AT&SF) to indicate the Train Number (as opposed to the locomotive number). The locomotive number would only be shown on the indicator board when the locomotive was running light (without a train). In that case, the board would show the locomotive number usually preceded by the letter X-ie. X1024.

If the locomotive were assigned to a train, the indicator board would show the train number-ie. 10. If the train was running in multiple sections, the indicator board would show the train number and section number. Train No. 10, Second section would be shown as 10-2.

Jason your answer can be found on page 124 of "The Iron Horses of the Santa Fe Trail" by E. D. Worley. There is a picture of #798 with a number board. This picture was taken after the engine was rebuil so I would say that #811 was also equiped with similar number boards. These were steel boxes with at least two light fixtures. The number was cut out of sheet steel and had a piece of white glass behind it. These were not designed to be changed out and used as an indicator board. I would suggest you submitt your question also to the Santa Fe Modlers site as they have a large volume of data concerning these type of things.

John Deck
Great Plains Transportation Museum
Wichita, KS

The Southern Pacific and the Union Pacific displayed the train number on their locomotives (and at one time also on the cabooses). The train number was either the timetable designation or the extra number (x-locomotive number). The Santa Fe when running over the SP had to display the train number; the UP when running over the AT&SF replaced the train numbers with the locomotive number.

I'm not aware that the Santa Fe used train indicators in this fashion, that's on old Common Standard lines thing (UP, SP). You'll note that there is no space in the board in the photo to accommodate the X.

These illuminated number boards just made it easier for a crew to identify the number of an engine they were meeting. On roads that didn't use train indicators (most), it was common practice to include the number of the lead locomotive when describing a train in train orders... such as, NO 3 ENG 1024... To provide positive identification.

The Santa Fe using those illuminated number boards made sense since they didn't use illuminated number boards in the headlight or other lamp boxes for the engine number on the front end at all. Seeing an engine number at night would have probably been pretty tough without them.

Les